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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591195">but baby, that's what makes us good in bed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup'>fortunehasgivenup</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>prompt fills [29]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Good Girls (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>69 (Sex Position), Alternate Universe, Bad date, Bakery Owner Beth, Bartender Rio, Blind Date, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Jealousy, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Oral Sex, Phone Sex, Prompt Fill, Table Sex</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 05:07:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>12,328</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25591195</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortunehasgivenup/pseuds/fortunehasgivenup</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After a truly disastrous blind date, Beth and Rio hook up. Again. And again. And again. But it's not like they've got <i>feelings</i> for each other.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beth Boland/Rio</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>prompt fills [29]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608919</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>424</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>but baby, that's what makes us good in bed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I combined this prompt: medievalraven said: Yeah - so these meet ugly prompts - please consider this an official request that you do #1: "we were set up on a blind date but it went horribly, so now you message me every time you have a good date because you think your tips will help me in the future, you ass" at some point. Thank you!<br/>with medievalraven's ongoing request for more friends with benefits fic. Also, this is my 69th upload. 😎</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Rio groaned as Beth hollowed out her cheeks. “Fuck,” he grunted.</p>
<p>She could see his hands kneading at the blankets in an attempt to keep himself grounded. Beth rolled her eyes and pulled up to tongue at his slit the same time she rubbed the base of his cock with her thumb and it was game over.</p>
<p>He spilled into her mouth with a growl, then went boneless.</p>
<p>Beth grinned as she sat up, wiping her lips on the back of her hand as Rio stared at her.</p>
<p>“I win,” she told him.</p>
<p>Immediately, his ease disappeared and he glared up at her. “Nah, you cheated.”</p>
<p>“There were no rules, ergo I could not cheat,” she told him as she got off his bed and went to gather up her things.</p>
<p>“Don’t be like that, Elizabeth,” Rio said, “we both know you want your pussy ate.”</p>
<p>Beth’s cheeks still burned pink when he said things like that, making his grin widen.</p>
<p>“No, I don’t,” she said. “I have plans. Dinner plans.”</p>
<p>“So do I,” Rio said, reclining in his bed.</p>
<p>“I have a date,” Beth clarified, throwing one of his socks at him. </p>
<p>“Ouch.” He put his hand over his heart. “That hurt. What time?”</p>
<p>“7:30.”</p>
<p>Rio looked at the clock. It was 5pm.</p>
<p>“I need to get ready!” Beth snapped.</p>
<p>He shook his head. “What you need is to relax or you’re gonna scare him off.”</p>
<p>“Like I scared you off?” Beth scoffed. “I wish you would have stayed scared.”</p>
<p>He laughed and rolled out of the bed to walk across his room to her. “Keep telling yourself that.” He pinched her ass, enjoying the yelp that she let out before she turned and thumped him in the chest. “I’ll walk you out.”</p>
<p>Before she left though, Rio pulled her into a filthy kiss that lasted way longer than even he intended. “Have fun,” he said, patting right over the spot he’d pinched her, earning a scowl.</p>
<p>Shutting the door behind her, he sighed. Ever since their disastrous blind date a couple of months before, he’d found himself hooking up with Beth Marks more often than not. Looking back on that particular series of events, he wasn’t even sure how they’d wound up where they were…</p>
<p>
  <b>Three months ago</b>
</p>
<p>Mick’s cousin Jenny had been right about one thing - the woman was certainly stacked. It was the first thing he noticed when he pulled up in front of her place and got out of the car.</p>
<p>“Beth?”</p>
<p>She looked up from her phone, revealing a pair of big blue eyes. “Rio?”</p>
<p>He nodded. “Ready to go?”</p>
<p>She approached the car, skirting around the grass in order to come down the driveway. It was a movement that Rio was familiar with from his cousins and aunts and all the girls he’d grown up with. </p>
<p>He glanced at her feet.</p>
<p>Yup, there they were, a pair of incredibly impractical stiletto booties. She could walk in them, but it didn’t look comfortable. </p>
<p>“You sure you want to wear those?”</p>
<p>She paused, hand on the door. “Excuse me?”</p>
<p>Rio nodded to her feet. </p>
<p>“Yes, I’m sure,” she snapped, opening the car door and sliding in. </p>
<p>It went from bad to worse when she made a comment about his car. “I always assumed that these kinds of cars were a thing that men bought to overcompensate for their -“ she trailed off.</p>
<p>Rio had to work his jaw not to respond to that with some colourful language and an offer to show her how much he was not compensating.</p>
<p>Then they got to the restaurant and started to warm up to one another a little more. She owned a café in her neighbourhood, but was attending classes part-time at the college and knew his bar. Rio was just starting to think that maybe this wasn’t so bad when their server showed up and hissed, “You.”</p>
<p>Rio didn’t even recognize the woman, but he knew that there was no way he could say that. “Excuse me?” he settled on.</p>
<p>“You never called me back,” the woman - her name tag said Gina - said, then glanced at Beth. “Watch yourself with this one,” she told her, then stormed off.</p>
<p>A few minutes later, they had a new server, but the harm had already been done and they reverted back to behaving with an uncomfortable stiffness as Beth made the occasional cutting remark about him being a player. Rio wasn’t about to just take that, so he rose to the challenge, picking at her whenever he could.</p>
<p>It was the shittiest date that Rio had ever been on and he was counting the one where Madi threw up on him. </p>
<p>He drove her home in silence.</p>
<p>“God,” Beth said as she undid her seatbelt, “men are such fucking pricks.”</p>
<p>“You’re no saint either, sweetheart,” he snapped. </p>
<p>She huffed. “I’ll make sure to let Jenny know that my type isn’t pretty boy with a big mouth.”</p>
<p>“Pretty boy?” Rio laughed. “You fucking serious?”</p>
<p>She crossed her arms, not getting out.</p>
<p>“You think I’m pretty?” Rio asked. She didn’t say anything. “Because if you weren’t such a bitch, I would have said that you were hot as hell.”</p>
<p>Beth gasped, turning to face him, cheeks red. “You ass.”</p>
<p>Rio leaned towards her. “How ‘bout you take me up to that apartment and we work off some of that anger?”</p>
<p>Beth let out a snarl and kissed him.</p>
<p>
  <b>Now</b>
</p>
<p>Rio recalled that first night together with a smugness that he thought he had more than earned. For all that their date had been shit, they’d been amazing in bed. Rio hadn’t left her apartment until two in the afternoon the next day and he’d done it with her number in his phone and an agreement to repeat the experience.</p>
<p>Going to the shower, he shook off thoughts of Beth and started to get ready for work.</p>
<p>———————————————</p>
<p>“So you two are giving it another shot,” Annie said over the phone, making Beth frown. She'd called her sister as soon as she got home from dinner with Steve, but she was already regretting it.</p>
<p>“Another shot?”</p>
<p>“You and Rio,” Annie replied. Her mouth was full of what sounded like chips. </p>
<p>“I didn’t go on a date with Rio,” Beth corrected. “I went on a date with Steve.”</p>
<p>Annie was quiet for a moment. “So you two stopped your weird little mating ritual?”</p>
<p>“What are you even talking about?” Beth asked, rubbing the arch of her foot before setting down her phone to change into her lounge clothes. </p>
<p>“You and Rio! Are you forgetting that I’ve been near you when he texts you to tell you that he’s horny?” Annie made a gagging noise. “I’m pretty sure you almost dropped Sadie in your haste to jump on his dick.”</p>
<p>“Annie!” Beth hissed.</p>
<p>“What? Kiddo’s asleep, I can say what I want,” Annie said. “And I’m just telling you the truth. So, you two have cut that off.”</p>
<p>“No.”</p>
<p>Annie was quiet. “You can’t see me, but I’m checking that my ears are working,” she replied, “because I could have sworn that you said that you and Rio haven’t broken things off and that you just went on a date with a guy named Steve.”</p>
<p>“Those aren’t mutually exclusive truths, Annie.” Beth rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen. She was going to pour herself a glass of wine, have a snack, and read as soon as she got Annie off her back.</p>
<p>“You know what? I think I might actually be proud of you.”</p>
<p>“Oh shut up,” Beth said, getting herself a glass and switching her phone to speaker.</p>
<p>“He doesn’t mind?”</p>
<p>“Who?” Beth asked, her head in the fridge.</p>
<p>“Rio!” Annie sounded exasperated, which was not fair. If anyone should be exasperated, it should be Beth. “He’s okay with you dating someone else?”</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t he be?”</p>
<p>“Because he likes you!”  Annie replied. </p>
<p>Beth rolled her eyes. “Rio likes what I do for, with, and to him.” A little spark lit in her spine at the thought of it. That afternoon, she’d left before Rio had a chance to return the favour.</p>
<p>“Beth,” Annie said, “do you spend time with him when you’re not having sex?”</p>
<p>“No!” Beth insisted. “Now I’m going to hang up on you so I can enjoy the rest of my night without being interrogated.”</p>
<p>“Keep telling yourself that, you coward,” Annie rushed. “Night, I love you!”</p>
<p>“Love you too,” Beth replied, hanging up. Grabbing the phone from the counter top, she took it and her late night snack to the living room. </p>
<p>She could message him.</p>
<p>As soon as the thought came to her head, Beth groaned. He wouldn’t show up for hours - he was closing the bar tonight - but he’d come by after his shift and let himself in, wake her up with his mouth between her legs.</p>
<p>It wouldn’t be the first time.</p>
<p>A voice that sounded suspiciously like Annie’s reminded her that Rio could let himself in because she’d given him a key. And she had his. But it wasn’t like that meant they were serious. It meant that they had weird schedules that didn’t quite match up, but sometimes they liked to wake up to another person. That’s all it was.</p>
<p>Really.</p>
<p>———————————————</p>
<p>Considering that he lived and died by the bar’s popularity, he should have been pleased by the fact that they had a crowd on a Wednesday, but Rio mostly just wanted everybody to talk a little quieter from the minute he got in.</p>
<p>“Get that look off your face,” Mick told him. “You’re gonna scare away all the girls.”</p>
<p>Rio glared at him.</p>
<p>Part of the crowd must have been a little bit older than the students, because they packed up and left by midnight, cashing out their tabs and leaving generous tips.</p>
<p>He took the opportunity to pull out his phone and check the message that had made his phone buzz in his pocket.</p>
<p>Beth.</p>
<p>He opened it.</p>
<p><i>He didn’t even insult me when he picked me up</i>, Beth’s text said.</p>
<p>Rio snorted. He hadn’t insulted her. He had <i>commented</i> on her shoes.</p>
<p>“Elizabeth?” </p>
<p>He looked up at Mick.</p>
<p>“Yeah.”</p>
<p>“It’s just sad, man,” Mick said, knocking his shoulder. “You’re so gone over her, it’s ridiculous. You two don’t even like each other.”</p>
<p>“Yeah we do,” Rio retorted.</p>
<p>Mick perked up. “So you <i>are</i> interested in her. Last week you said she was a she-devil sent by Satan.”</p>
<p>“She is,” Rio said with a shrug. </p>
<p>“I don’t get it,” Mick muttered under his breath. </p>
<p>Rio finished stocking up the bar. “That’s nice, because you don’t need to.”</p>
<p>“So what’s she doing tonight?” Mick asked.</p>
<p>“She’s got a date.”</p>
<p>Mick stopped what he was doing and turned to stare at Rio. “What?” </p>
<p>“She’s got a date,” Rio repeated. </p>
<p>“You seem awfully calm for a guy whose girlfriend is on a date with another guy,” Mick said.</p>
<p>Rio laughed. “She ain’t my girl,” he reminded Mick.</p>
<p>“So you’re cool with her potentially hooking up with this guy? Maybe he’s her soulmate and they’re gonna ride off into the sunset together, leaving you behind,” Mick went on.</p>
<p>“Fuck off man,” Rio muttered before turning to the girl that had just walked up to the bar to order.</p>
<p>Rio grinned at the girl flirting with him, but didn’t say anything to give her the impression that he was interested. He prepared her drink, accepted her cash and tip, then forgot about her the second she was out of sight.</p>
<p>“All I’m saying,” Mick said as they locked up later, “is you’re all wrapped up in her, insisting the whole time that you want nothing to do with her. You turned down quite possibly one of the hottest women that I have ever seen in my life.”</p>
<p>Rio looked at him and snorted. “Who?” Mick raised an eyebrow. “The one in the red? She might be hot, but she barely looked up from her phone. ‘Sides, you know how I like ‘em.”</p>
<p>Mick lifted his hands to his chest like he was holding up a pair of boobs and shook his head. “You need therapy,” Mick muttered.</p>
<p>He scowled all the way home. Was Beth hooking up with her date? Had she let him fuck her? More like the guy would have tried, but wouldn’t have been able to give Beth what she wanted. Hell, half the time Beth didn’t know what she wanted until he was giving it to her. </p>
<p>He brushed his teeth and washed his face, rubbing the back of his neck as he walked to bed. There was no way in hell that he’d admit it to Mick or - god forbid - Beth herself, but there was part of him that didn’t like the idea of Beth hooking up with someone else. Not just because he’d met the kind of losers she normally went for either.</p>
<p>Collapsing onto the bed, Rio grabbed his phone and pulled up Instagram. He hardly used it himself, but his little brother did and it was nice to see what the little dork was up to.</p>
<p>Apparently studying, according to the first photo on his feed - a stack of books and a way too big coffee. Rio shook his head, but liked it anyways, then scrolled down.</p>
<p>The second, posted a few hours ago, was Beth’s. A glass of wine next to a book. The caption, <i>I seriously haven’t been able to put this down!</i> was followed by a number of hashtags, but Rio was caught on what it meant. Beth was at home, alone. Reading. She wasn’t hooking up with whoever she’d gone out with, wasn’t shoving her freezing fucking feet under that guy’s legs in an attempt to warm them up.</p>
<p>Good.</p>
<p>He pulled up their messages back and forth, mostly some variation of <i>Come over</i>. He went to start typing, but paused. It was desperate, asking her to come back now. </p>
<p>Scowling at his phone, he set it aside. Rio was a lot of things, but he refused to be desperate.</p>
<p>————————————————</p>
<p>Beth woke up the morning after her not entirely terrible date with Steve feeling tired, despite the fact that she’d gone to bed at a reasonable hour.</p>
<p>Groaning, she rolled onto her belly. She was beginning to notice a disturbing pattern in her sleep quality. Namely, she felt a whole lot better rested on the nights she went to Rio’s or he came over to her place.</p>
<p>Part of that was that they had an excellent ability to absolutely exhaust one another. Once she was out, she was out like a light and she would wake up in the morning feeling that she was well rested. </p>
<p>The other part made her a little bit more uncomfortable and had more to do with the way that Rio liked to cuddle in his sleep, wrapping himself around her and making her feel safe. He didn’t even complain about her cold feet most of the time.</p>
<p>Without thinking about it, Beth had moved herself so that she was pressing herself against a crumpled fold of her duvet cover and was grinding against it. With a groan, she lifted up enough to slip her hand in her panties.</p>
<p>It wasn’t fair. Rio was a jackass, constantly questioning every single one of Beth’s decisions. Was she sure she wanted to wear those shoes? She drank bourbon? Her sheets were pink? Everything came with a hint of smug derision that had, at the beginning, mostly pissed Beth off. Now, it practically triggered a Pavlovian response in her.</p>
<p>Sliding her middle finger back and forth through her folds, Beth teased herself with the memory of the night a few weeks ago when Rio had come over to her place after closing up the bar and let himself in, waking Beth up with his hands on her breasts and his bare cock rubbing against her ass.</p>
<p>Beth hadn’t meant to fall asleep while waiting for him to come back, but she’d been tired and had nodded off.</p>
<p>“You ‘wake?” She could hear his voice in her ear as one of his hands slid down over her stomach and into her underwear to tease her with his fingers, just like she was doing now. “What’re you dreaming about that’s got you this wet? Me?”</p>
<p>Beth’s answer had been her bank teller.</p>
<p>Rio had just laughed. “That’s cool,” he’d replied. “So long as you say my name when you come.”</p>
<p>He had fucked her from behind, panties around her knees and her shirt shoved up so he could touch her bare tits, the skin of her stomach.</p>
<p>“Rio,” Beth moaned - then and now as she slid her fingers inside. She was just starting to pump them in and out when her phone buzzed.</p>
<p>With a yelp, she pulled her hand away from herself and scrambled into a seated position before remembering that she was in the privacy of her room in her own apartment.</p>
<p>She sighed, then reached over and grabbed her phone.</p>
<p>Unlocking it, she pulled up the newest message only to choke on her breath.</p>
<p>Because it was from Rio, an invitation to come over, which wasn’t unusual in the slightest. What was unusual was the photo of his erection straining at the front of his sweats.</p>
<p>Beth swallowed.</p>
<p>She hit the call button. </p>
<p>It rang twice before Rio picked up. “Yeah?” His voice sounded rough, like he’d just woken up. Like he maybe had his hands in his sweats as they spoke.</p>
<p>“We’re sending pictures now?” Beth asked, trying to keep her own voice even.</p>
<p>Rio chuckled. “If you want to return the favour, I’m happy to accept whatever you wanna send.” Of course he would. “We making phone calls now?”</p>
<p>“When I wake up to a dick pic, yes, I do,” Beth told him.</p>
<p>“Elizabeth,” he said, “you can’t even see my dick in that picture. Is that a hint ‘bout what you want me to send next?”</p>
<p>“No!” Yes. Kind of.</p>
<p>“Because if we’re doing requests,” he went on like he hadn’t heard her, “I want one of you holding yourself open for me, the way you do when I’m gonna put my mouth on you. Actually, it’s the same way you do it when I’m about to put my cock in you too. Would you do that for me?”</p>
<p>“No,” Beth said firmly.</p>
<p>“Would you let me come over and see it?” he asked.</p>
<p>Beth bit her lip. “I have a class.”</p>
<p>“After class,” he said. “I’ll help you study.”</p>
<p>“I have work.”</p>
<p>He sighed. “You’re really killing the mood,” he told her. “Now c’mon, pretend you said yes to one of those. What would we do?”</p>
<p>Beth slid her right hand back down into her panties again.</p>
<p>“Well,” she began, “you’d probably be a condescending jerk about something. I’d call you an ass.”</p>
<p>He laughed. </p>
<p>“Maybe I’d tell you that I don’t want to have sex,” Beth mused. “Maybe I’m not in the mood.”</p>
<p>“Yeah? That’s a shame.” Rio’s voice had changed, less rough with sleep and more rough with something else. “But it’s cool. I’ll just jerk off next to you while you study.”</p>
<p>He would too. He’d done it once while Beth was in midterms after he’d fucked her and she’d practically jumped off of him once they both came in order to grab her study notes. He’d sat there watching for a while, then slowly started to touch himself, making a show of it until Beth couldn’t concentrate and had to…lend a hand, so to speak.</p>
<p>Beth made a contemplative hum. “I guess I could help you out,” she allowed. “I know you like it when I do my stretches.”</p>
<p>“Of course I do,” he replied. “All that thrusting your tits and ass up, opening up your hips? Puts me in a mood.”</p>
<p>She had to hold back a moan as she circled her clit. </p>
<p>“So that’s it, you’d let me watch your little yoga routine?” Rio asked.</p>
<p>“Maybe I’d make some wardrobe changes,” Beth said, starting to finger herself.</p>
<p>He groaned. “You’d do it naked?”</p>
<p>Beth can only imagine how much that would make her boobs ache, but she murmured a soft, “Yes,” anyways.  </p>
<p>“I’d wanna watch you from behind,” Rio said. “Would you let me touch you? Put my hand on your cunt when you’re shoving up back in downward facing dog or puppy dog pose or whatever. I bet you’d be soaking, just from me watching you, even if you say that you’re not in the mood.”</p>
<p>Beth gasped as she curled her fingers.</p>
<p>“You touching yourself?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” Beth answered. No use in denying it. “You?”</p>
<p>Rio chuckled. “I’ve had my hand on my cock since before I picked up the phone, thinking ‘bout your tight pussy, how it gets so red and wet when I fuck it, what it looks like when you let me come inside of it.”</p>
<p>That had been a more recent change, one that Beth only allowed from time to time. </p>
<p>“Bet you never realized how much of a cum slut you are before me, huh?” </p>
<p>She scowled at the phone. “Oh fuck off, Rio.”</p>
<p>His response was a groan. “Oh yeah, Elizabeth, talk dirty to me,” he teased. She didn't bother responding and he took advantage of the silence. “Remember that time when I kept touching you and then pulling away, not giving you what you wanted until you put me on my back and just took me all at once? You were so wet, but I stretched you out, you told me you’d never been so full.”</p>
<p>Beth shivered at the memory. Right after, he’d tried to touch her and she’d grabbed his hands, pushed them up over his head and he’d relaxed there, letting her set the pace.</p>
<p>It had been the first time that she’d let him go bare.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” was all she could say.</p>
<p>“Fuck, I think about that,” he told her. “When I’ve got my cock in my hand, I think about how it felt to have you take me like that, how it sounded when you moaned for me.”</p>
<p>Beth picked up the pace of her fingers. It wasn’t fair that he could work her up like this with nothing but words and a memory.</p>
<p>“How you said my name,” he went on. “Say it for me.”</p>
<p>“Rio,” Beth said, feeling herself start to clench in anticipation. </p>
<p>“You’re gonna go to class after this and you’re still gonna be picturing me fucking you, aren’t you? You’re gonna be squirming in your chair, remember how good you feel when it happens, aren’t you? You ever get yourself off in class?”</p>
<p>“No!” Beth replied, mortified at the idea.</p>
<p>“Shame,” Rio said. “I think you’d like it, having to stay quiet as you tried to get yourself off on the inseam of your jeans. I bet you could too. You come easy.”</p>
<p>Beth shook her head. “I don’t.”</p>
<p>“We both know that’s a lie,” he said. “Or maybe it’s just not true with me. Is that what it is, Elizabeth? I get you off when nobody else, not even you, can?”</p>
<p>Beth was so close, practically riding her hand now.</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought. Know what I think about sometimes?”</p>
<p>“What?” Beth asked.</p>
<p>“Fucking you at the bar one night. Or maybe the library at your school. You’d have to stay quiet, don’t wanna get caught. Would be hard for you, you like making noise,” he said, voice sounding breathier than it had before. He was close too. “I’d have to cover your mouth with my hand so that no one would find us, catch us like that, me fucking you and -“</p>
<p>Beth lost track of what he was saying as she came, although she was distantly aware that he was still speaking in her ear.</p>
<p>“With me again?” he asked a moment later when Beth hadn’t said anything for a while.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” she breathed, flopping down onto the bed dramatically. “You come yet?”</p>
<p>“No,” he replied, “but I’m about to. Tell me something good, Elizabeth.”</p>
<p>Beth bit her lip, contemplating what to tell him before letting her lip slip free as she grinned. “When you called me,” she said, “I was touching myself and I was thinking about that night you came over after you closed up and you woke me up naked.”</p>
<p>He groaned. “I remember. You were a mouthy little brat,” he said with a laugh. “Told me you were thinking ‘bout someone else. That true?”</p>
<p>“No,” she admitted, her hand settling on her belly. “Just you.”</p>
<p>The next groan was longer, more drawn out. It sounded like it was coming through gritted teeth and Beth could picture Rio in his bed, spilling all over his hand and belly. He always looked so relaxed in the aftermath when they had time to recover, turning boneless and melting into her or the mattress or couch or wherever.</p>
<p>“With me again?” Beth teased when he didn’t say anything for a while.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he said.</p>
<p>“I have to get ready for class.”</p>
<p>He sighed. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”</p>
<p>“Uh huh,” Beth agreed. “Bye.”</p>
<p>—————————————————</p>
<p>At first, Beth and Steve had gravitated towards each other by virtue of simply being a little older than a lot of the kids in their accounting class, but he’d quickly revealed himself to be a thoughtful, and funny, guy.</p>
<p>“So,” he asked once class was out, “do I rate a second date?” She’d been running late, barely getting in before it started, so there hadn’t been time to talk, though he’d saved her a seat.</p>
<p>Beth smiled at him. Dinner had been really nice and he hadn’t pushed for anything beyond a goodnight kiss. He was a couple of years older than her and had his own bespoke furniture business. Like her, he was learning about the business side of things after the fact and it was nice to talk to someone who knew the ins and outs of being a new business owner. </p>
<p>“Yeah,” Beth said, “I’d like that. I have to get to the café though, so I’ll text you?”</p>
<p>Steve nodded. “Have a good day!”</p>
<p>The café was just off campus, which meant that Beth could walk and more importantly, that students were part of her clientele. Starting the place had been a bit of a pipe dream at first, something she thought about when she was finishing up high school and facing down the prospect of essentially becoming her younger sister’s full time guardian. </p>
<p>There’d been no time for her to go to college or university then, nor was there the money. So she’d started working in a bakery. The hours had been tricky - up at 3 am to get there for the morning shift, but the salary had been good and she’d enjoyed the work. She got all kinds of training too - breads, cookies, cakes, pies, tarts. After a couple of years, the owner had started to pay for her to get certifications and training in her spare time. Well, he’d been willing to cover half of the costs.</p>
<p>It had also taught her a whole lot of what not to do and eventually she’d been drained by the constant work, lack of raise, and increasing responsibilities. So she’d gone to another bakery, this time a new one. It had folded within a year, but Beth had gained even more valuable lessons of what not to do.</p>
<p>Annie had finished school and, at Beth’s insistence, applied to college as a part-time student while she worked at Fine &amp; Frugal. Beth knew statistics, recognized that their best chance of making sure that they both had comfortable lives was education or training. </p>
<p>Beth had bounced between a few more jobs and began to bake independently on the side.</p>
<p>Then one day, an opportunity had presented itself.</p>
<p>
  <b>Three years earlier</b>
</p>
<p>“Rita’s closing the coffee shop,” Ruby said one day when she and Beth managed to coordinate their schedules enough to actually meet for coffee. “Well, she’s retiring.”</p>
<p>Beth glanced over at the register of the shop, but Rita wasn’t there. She’d probably stepped into the office to take a seat, her knees had been bothering her.</p>
<p>“Apparently Mr. Gervais was trying to buy from her, guess he’s looking to expand the antique store.”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Beth sipped her coffee. Working at the diner down the street, Ruby got all of the gossip about the locals, tinged with all kinds of college kid drama.</p>
<p>“She said no.” Ruby shrugged. “Doesn’t want the place to get absorbed into something else.”</p>
<p>Beth sat up a little straighter. “Like maybe if someone did some renovations, expanded the menu, but kept the shop as is?”</p>
<p>“Maybe.” Ruby focused on Beth. “Why?”</p>
<p>Beth was already out of her seat to go ask Rita. “Because I want it.”</p>
<p>Rita, it turned out, owned the building and was more than happy to continue doing so, as she lived in one of the apartments above. “I just can’t be running the shop anymore. It’s too much and the students’ve all started to want fancy coffees and WiFi."</p>
<p>Beth had drawn up a business plan, applied for every government grant, and small business loan that she could. Once it was all in place, they’d shuttered the shop for a few months of renovations while Beth updated the decor and brought in an espresso machine.</p>
<p>She’d never been more stressed out. But she’d also never been happier. When it became obvious that she needed to know more about bookkeeping and accounting in order to keep her external costs down, she’d started taking classes here and there at the school. Annie had helped her figure out every source of funding for that too.</p>
<p>And so, the George Street Coffee Shop and Bakery had flourished under new ownership.</p>
<p>
  <b>Now</b>
</p>
<p>“Hi, Annette,” Beth greeted one of her employees. “Any problems opening up this morning?”</p>
<p>“Nope,” Annette replied with a smile. “The four hour bottomless refill is proving very popular. Arisa’s on her break.”</p>
<p>“No complaints about the time limit?” Beth asked, grabbing an apron, then going to wash her hands. She liked to spend a bit of time on the front of house side of things too, seeing what was working, what wasn’t, asking customers for suggestions.</p>
<p>Annette shook her head. She’d been one of Beth’s first hires - a young mother, recently widowed, and in need of a job that let her take her son to school and pick him up before the after school daycare started charging extra. She’d been dropping her resumé off at Tony’s diner when Ruby was on shift and Ruby had pointed her towards Beth. They’d gotten on well and Beth had been quick to offer her a full-time job, with a salary that would be enough to keep her. Beth knew a good manager when she met one.</p>
<p>“How’s Will?”</p>
<p>“He’s good,” Annette said with a fond expression. “Looking more and more like his dad every day.”</p>
<p>Beth leaned her hip against the counter. “Want a hug?”</p>
<p>Laughing, Annette opened up her arms. “You gonna slobber in my neck?” she joked as she let Beth give her a hug. “Because that’s what Will did this morning.”</p>
<p>“No slobber,” Beth promised. “You got your pay stub?”</p>
<p>Annette nodded, taking off her apron. “Yup and the deposit showed up like it always does.”</p>
<p>Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Ever since she’d started to run her business and had become a source of income for others, she’d worried that she would that she would end up like some of her…less good bosses. Or Annie’s. It wasn’t unusual for Boomer to “forget” to give Annie her pay for a day or two, leaving her sister to stress about overdrafts and rent.</p>
<p>“Good. Say hi to Will for me?” </p>
<p>“I can do that,” Annette said, grabbing her light fall jacket and pulling it on. “But you haven’t said anything about your date.”</p>
<p>Beth groaned. “Really?”</p>
<p>“He’s cute!” Annette teased as she sorted out her purse. “What was his name, Steve?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, Steve.”</p>
<p>“Was it that bad?” Annette asked, sobering a little.</p>
<p>Beth shook her head. “It was nice. We had a great dinner and we’re going to go on a second date.”</p>
<p>Annette grinned. “Good. You deserve a cute boyfriend. Man. Man that is a friend?” She laughed and Beth had to join her. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”</p>
<p>“Yup,” Beth waved her off, “enjoy your day!”</p>
<p>It was a bit of a calm before the storm, she knew, so she stocked the display case with goodies and checked she was good for dairy and beans. Her own class never ran the full time, which gave her time to get here and take over for Annette before the rush.</p>
<p>Arisa came back a minute or so later, greeting Beth and grabbing some dishes from a table that had just emptied on her way to the counter.</p>
<p>They didn’t have much chance to talk, because she was followed by everyone who had an 11am class and needed coffee to get through it. They settled into a quick rhythm, writing on cups and ringing everyone up, packing brownies and cookies and the occasional breakfast sandwich. </p>
<p>About halfway through the rush, Beth found herself sliding a cappuccino across the counter to Steve and she blinked at him. He looked a little sheepish. </p>
<p>“I’m meeting a client here,” he explained, “I hope that’s ok.”</p>
<p>Beth smiled at him. “If you don’t mind waiting for a little bit, I might have a snack for you.”</p>
<p>He laughed and took his coffee off to a table to wait for whoever he was meeting with and Beth got started on an americano.</p>
<p>There were stragglers, the kids who would show up to class once the professor was already lecturing, but then the rush petered off and Beth was able to put a couple of sweets on a plate to take over to Steve.</p>
<p>“Thanks,” he said. “Guess it pays to know the owner, huh?”</p>
<p>“Something like that,” Beth said. “So, second date?”</p>
<p>He smiled and Beth remembered why she’d said yes to the date in the first place - a pair of dimples that made her want to press her lips to his cheeks.</p>
<p>“Was thinking that maybe we could go out for a drink tomorrow night.”</p>
<p>“I’d like that,” Beth replied. </p>
<p>———————————————————</p>
<p>Weekends, despite being great for business, were quickly becoming the bane of Rio’s existence. What was it with twenty year olds getting all dressed up to try to convince guys way too old for them to buy them drinks?</p>
<p>Not for the first time, Rio wondered whether or not it was time to move on. He’d been planning it for ages, really, hanging onto this job because the cash was good and he could save, build contacts. But he’d done that now. So why wasn’t he getting a place off campus where he didn’t need to deal with the fake ID crowd and a really, really dumb owner?</p>
<p>He opened a beer and passed it over the bar to the guy that had ordered it, already moving on to the person beside him and taking her order for a bunch of shots. He sighed, but started making them.</p>
<p>“Isn’t that Beth?” Mick asked.</p>
<p>Rio looked up and froze at the sight of Beth sitting in a booth along the wall. She didn’t usually come in when he was working unless it was the end of shift and she was horny. Except that wasn’t what she was here for tonight because she wasn't alone. She was sitting with a guy who had his arm wrapped around her and his face buried in her hair as she giggled.</p>
<p>He swallowed. “Yeah,” he replied, then went back to making drinks. But he couldn’t help but look up every so often, catching glimpses of the two of them sitting close together. But he bided his time until he saw the guy go outside. It didn’t seem like he was coming back, so when Beth went out a few minutes later, Rio followed. They’d be fine without him.</p>
<p>It took him a minute to find her - she was standing away from the front entrance, at the corner of the building next to the side door that led to the back hall, and typing something on her phone.</p>
<p>“Who the fuck was that guy?”</p>
<p>Beth scowled at him. “None of your business,” she snapped.</p>
<p>“It is when you bring him to my work.”</p>
<p>She shifted in place, uncomfortable. “He suggested it,” she said, sounding nowhere near contrite enough for Rio’s taste. “What was I supposed to say - no, I can’t go there, my fuckbuddy works tonight?” She scoffed. “No way.”</p>
<p>“I don’t give a shit what you tell him,” Rio told her, “you don’t bring him to the bar. That isn’t how this works.”</p>
<p>“How what works?”</p>
<p>“You and me,” Rio said, pointed back and forth between them. “We don’t play the jealousy game.”</p>
<p>Beth’s head jerked back. “Jealousy game? What are you talking about?” she demanded. “Why would you even give a shit?”</p>
<p>Rio kept glaring at her. </p>
<p>She didn’t stop glaring either, up until Rio stepped closer and lowered his face so that he could kiss her harshly. Then she gave as good as she got, grabbing the back of his head and holding him in place.</p>
<p>He broke her hold and grabbed her hand, tugging her back inside and through the office door.</p>
<p>Not giving her much of a chance to take it in, he turned her so that she was facing away from him and bent her over the desk, tugging up that flirty little skirt and yanking down her panties.</p>
<p>With one hand, he teased her entrance with his thumb. With his other, he undid his belt and jeans, pushing them down just enough that he could get his cock out. </p>
<p>Normally they went pretty slowly, taking their time even when they were both horny as fuck, but she was canting her hips and pushing back into his touch and Rio didn’t feel like drawing it out.</p>
<p>Lifting his fingers to his mouth, he got them wet with his spit, then pushed two of them inside of her.</p>
<p>“Should have known you’d be wet already,” he said, pulling them back out so that he could line up the tip of his cock. “What did it for you? Was it knowing that I’d be here, seeing you with him?”</p>
<p>She shook her head, whimpering and gasping as he sank in to the root.</p>
<p>“That it, Elizabeth?”</p>
<p>She shook her head again. “I told you,” she said, “it was his idea.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but you’re the one who came here.”</p>
<p>He watched her hands grab onto the far edge of the desk, knuckles turning white as she gripped it tightly.</p>
<p>“I’d say that you’re not gonna come,” he told her, “but I think I’d better remind you about how good I make you feel huh?”</p>
<p>She started to push back against him, which wouldn’t do. His hands held her in place. He wanted her to come, but he wanted it to be him that did everything to get her there.</p>
<p>She started to moan, so he squeezed her hips. “Gotta keep it down.”</p>
<p>“I - I can’t,” she gasped.</p>
<p>Bending to plaster himself against her back, he slipped two fingers into her mouth. They were the same fingers that he’d had inside of her cunt, but she tightened around him and started to suck. </p>
<p>It felt good, being so close to her, being inside of her. Rio wasn’t sure that there was anything else in the world that he enjoyed more. </p>
<p>“Did you tell him to leave you here?” he asked. “Did you know I’d do this to you?”</p>
<p>She shook her head, still sucking on his fingers.</p>
<p>“Liar,” he growled into her ear. “Know what you’re gonna do after I come in you? You’re gonna go back out there and you’re gonna wait for me to finish my shift. Then we’re gonna go back to mine and I’m going to do it again. You’d like that, huh?”</p>
<p>She whimpered, nodding slightly. He had to either stop gripping her hip or pull his fingers from her mouth if he wanted to touch her clit. </p>
<p>“Can you stay quiet on your own?”</p>
<p>She nodded once. </p>
<p>“Good,” he replied, pulling his fingers free and moving them right down to flick her clit until she squeaked. “Quiet, Elizabeth,” he reminded her.</p>
<p>Not that they really had to be. The only people that might hear them would be anyone in the back hall, which was restricted to employees.</p>
<p>She put her hand over her mouth, gasping into it as he fucked her over the edge. Her orgasm pulled him with her and he came with a groan, holding Beth in place as he came. They didn’t have time to linger, so he pulled out carefully, running his hands over her hip when she whimpered. He loved that - how much she protested when she lost him.</p>
<p>Kissing her shoulder, he pulled away and did up his pants, then bent to pull Beth’s panties up. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet as she turned to face him, then sort of collapsed on top of the desk.</p>
<p>“You good?” he asked.</p>
<p>Beth nodded. “I can’t stay though,” she said. “Annie and Ruby are coming over in the morning.”</p>
<p>It sucked to hear, but Rio nodded. “That’s cool,” he replied. “You good to get home?”</p>
<p>“I was about to get an Uber.”</p>
<p>“Message me when you get home safe, yeah?” Rio asked, reaching up to tuck her hair behind her ear. He didn’t know why she didn’t keep bobby pins on her like most of the women he knew. They were always pulling hair clips and bobby pins and scrunchies out of who the fuck knows where, flipping their hair around and twisting it.</p>
<p>But he rarely saw Beth with her hair back or up. He knew that she had it up at the café, had to. But he’d steered clear of it because that had seemed like…too much. Like crossing boundaries. Though here she was, at the bar where he worked, so maybe that hadn’t been something that they’d agreed on.</p>
<p>Later, his phone buzzed with a text from Beth. <i>Home.</i></p>
<p>
  <i>Thanks.</i> he replied. <i>Good night.</i>
</p>
<p>———————————————</p>
<p>Beth had lied when she messaged Rio. She hadn’t gone home. She’d gone to Ruby’s.</p>
<p>“He’s just so stupid,” Beth groaned, sitting upside down on Ruby’s couch so that her head was hanging off the seat and her feet were hooked over the back.</p>
<p>“Uh huh,” Ruby said.</p>
<p>“But so fucking sexy,” she went on. “Like, it’s unfair. He does this thing with his mouth and it’s all coy, like he doesn’t mean it but then he -“ Beth trailed off.</p>
<p>Ruby threw a pillow at her face. “No! No fantasizing about your fuckbuddy on my couch!”</p>
<p>Beth rubbed her nose. “But Steve’s great,” she said, put out. “It’s not fair.”</p>
<p>“It’s not fair that you have two sexy guys who are into you?” Ruby asked. “Because it feels like not too long ago that you were complaining that no one was into you.”</p>
<p>“I changed my mind,” Beth sighed. “I liked that better.”</p>
<p>“No, you didn’t.” Ruby patted Beth’s leg. “You just need to think about what you want. Who you want.”</p>
<p>“There’s more to it than that, Ruby,” Beth said.</p>
<p>Ruby pulled Beth’s hand. “C’mon, sit up.”</p>
<p>Beth went reluctantly.</p>
<p>“Do you remember what you told me when I said I wasn’t sure if Stan was the one?” </p>
<p>“Don’t make me come over there and slap you?” Beth guessed. They’d been at least mildly drunk at the time. </p>
<p>Ruby glared her down. “You said that you couldn’t tell me what was right, but you could tell me what you thought I felt was right. You said that I loved Stan, but I was scared.”</p>
<p>Beth sniffed. “That sounds too wise to be something that I said.”</p>
<p>Ruby laughed. “Now it’s my turn to tell you what I think you feel.”</p>
<p>“Alright,” Beth said, sitting up straight. “Do your worst.”</p>
<p>“I think you’re in love with Rio.”</p>
<p>“No, I’m -“ Beth started to protest, but Ruby reached over and put her hand over Beth’s mouth.</p>
<p>“You’re gonna keep your mouth shut until I’m finished,” she scolded, not taking her hand away until Beth nodded. “I think you’re in love with Rio, but you had a bad first date with him, so you’re convinced that you aren’t a good fit for one another, completely ignoring the fact that the two of you are in a relationship. You keep his favourite snacks at your place! You have some clothes at his.”</p>
<p>“That’s for convenience.”</p>
<p>Ruby pointed at Beth and shook her head. “No. It isn’t. I think convenience is a handy lie for the two of you to tell yourselves so that you can pretend you’re not into each other outside of sex. Steve? Steve’s irrelevant, he’s a distraction. He’s an attempt for you to convince yourself that you aren’t in love with Rio and, as an added bonus, a way to bait him into saying or doing something.”</p>
<p>Beth stared at Ruby. </p>
<p>“I’m right,” Ruby said. “What you choose to do with that is up to you. But I’m right.”</p>
<p>Leaning into Ruby’s side, Beth wrapped her arms around her best friend. “Why are you so perfect?” she whined. “Why couldn’t I be in love with you? I’d fight Stan for you.”</p>
<p>Ruby laughed, patting Beth’s head. “You’d lose.”</p>
<p>“No, I wouldn’t,” Beth said. “I’d fight dirty.”</p>
<p>“Thanks, I guess?” Ruby shook her head. “Now, how about you get out of your date night clothes and into something comfy, then we’ll watch TV in bed until Stan comes home.”</p>
<p>“Wait, what happens when Stan gets home?” Beth asked, standing up.</p>
<p>“I’m kicking you out,” Ruby told her. “You can sleep in the guest room or out here.”</p>
<p>Beth pouted. </p>
<p>“Nope,” Ruby said, ushering her towards the main bedroom, “not gonna work. I married him, he gets to share the bed with me.”</p>
<p>“We got married too!” Beth protested. “Remember that ceremony we had when we were like ten?”</p>
<p>“That was not legally binding.”</p>
<p>“That’s bullshit!” Beth found the pair of pajamas that she kept at Ruby’s and yanked them out. “I’m telling Stan that he’s a home wrecker.”</p>
<p>Ruby collapsed back onto the bed. “Don’t make me kick you out of my house,” she warned.</p>
<p>Beth giggled as she went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.</p>
<p>Was Ruby right? Was she in love with Rio?</p>
<p>With a sigh, she took off her dress. She cleaned up some of the mess that she’d missed earlier when she was trying to sort herself out at the bar before coming to Ruby’s. The reminder of what had happened in the office made Beth shiver, then shut her eyes tightly in an attempt to clear her mind.</p>
<p>She was so fucked.</p>
<p>———————————————</p>
<p>On Tuesday, Rio led Helena into the George Street Coffee Shop and Bakery. He’d never actually been inside and he couldn’t help but look around in every direction, trying to take it all in. It smelled like coffee and sugar baking with butter and chocolate. Like Beth.</p>
<p>“You never want to hang out,” his cousin reprimanded him, jabbing him in the side. “What’s wrong?”</p>
<p>“Nothing,” Rio muttered. “Go grab that table before someone else does. I’ll order. What d’you want?”</p>
<p>“Cappuccino and a cookie. It better have chocolate in it,” she warned before peeling off to grab the table by the window. The café was pretty popular among the student crowd, so tables filled up fast.</p>
<p>He wasn’t surprised to see Beth behind the counter, looking a little bit frazzled. She’d probably been at work for ages at that point, she normally opened on Tuesdays.</p>
<p>She blinked in surprise to see him there. “Hi.”</p>
<p>“Hey,” Rio said with a nod. </p>
<p>“Latte?” she asked, already ringing it up. More than once, she'd brought coffee and treats to him.</p>
<p>“Yeah. And a cappuccino, both for here. What kinda cookies you got? Helena said she wants something chocolate.”</p>
<p>He saw it on her face when she registered the woman’s name. It was shock, then something else he couldn't identify, then blankness. “Oh,” she said. “Um, we have chocolate chip, double fudge, oatmeal chocolate chip, and - that’s it.” She was more flustered than he’d ever seen her.</p>
<p>“Double fudge,” Rio said, pulling out a twenty.</p>
<p>She took the bill from the corner and put his change on the counter. “I’ll bring it over,” she said.</p>
<p>Weird. Rio frowned, taking his change and after dropping a tip in the jar, shoved the rest into his pocket as he walked to Helena.</p>
<p>“Who you texting like it’s the most important news in the world?” he asked as he took a seat across from her.</p>
<p>“My mom,” Helena said. “So she can pass it on to your mom that you’re not being anti-social.”</p>
<p>Rio sighed. “I’m not anti-social. I just spend all my time working nights around a lot of people and when I’m not at work, I just wanna relax.”</p>
<p>Helena made a face. “You’re so boring.”</p>
<p>He laughed. “Sides, don’t you have homework and shit you should be doing?”</p>
<p>“It’s not homework,” Helena snapped. “It’s assignments and essays and -“</p>
<p>“Homework,” Rio said. He looked up at a movement in the corner of his eye and spotted a woman walking towards them with a tray. He looked around for Beth as he took his elbows of the table so that she could put their drinks down.</p>
<p>“Elizabeth’s busy?” he asked.</p>
<p>The woman, he was pretty sure her name was Annette, gave him a funny look. “Yeah,” she said. “Enjoy.”</p>
<p>Helena snatched the cookie right away and tore off a piece. She groaned as she ate it. “Try some,” she said, pointing at it.</p>
<p>“I have,” he replied, picking up his coffee.</p>
<p>“See, now I’m confused because I’m pretty sure you said you haven’t been here before but you’ve tried the cookies and you’re asking after someone named Elizabeth. What’s that about?”</p>
<p>“She’s just someone I know,” he hedged with a shrug.</p>
<p>Helena didn’t buy it. </p>
<p>“Fine,” he muttered, “we’ve kinda been seeing each other.”</p>
<p>“She the pretty red head at the counter when we came in?” Helena leaned across the table towards him, looking far too excited to know this piece of information about him. He nodded. “What’d you do?”</p>
<p>“Huh?” Rio asked.</p>
<p>“She looked like she wasn’t happy to see you. You do something dumb?”</p>
<p>“No!” he insisted. “It’s just - it’s complicated.”</p>
<p>“Uncomplicate it,” Helena told him, settling back in her chair. “You’re not getting any younger.”</p>
<p>“You been spending too much time with my mother,” he said.</p>
<p>His cousin rolled her eyes and reached out her hand to settle over his. “We just want you to be happy, you idiot.”</p>
<p>Rio started to laugh.</p>
<p>“I’m serious,” Helena kicked his shin under the table, “we don’t want you sabotaging your own life. So what’s going on?”</p>
<p>He spilled the whole story. Well, not all of it. His baby cousin didn’t need to know the details of his sex life, but he was pretty sure that she got the gist of what he was saying.</p>
<p>“So she’s seeing this other guy now?” Helena asked, chin propped on her hand.</p>
<p>Rio shrugged. “I dunno. Haven’t had much of a chance to talk to her since they came to the bar.”</p>
<p>“You should go talk to her,” she said. “Sort things out. You like her and I bet she likes you.”</p>
<p>“And if she doesn’t?” The idea burned more than Rio ever would have thought.</p>
<p>Helena shrugs. “Then at least you know and you can move on instead of being all tangled up in her.”</p>
<p>Rio tapped his foot a couple of times. “Yeah,” he said, not so sure, “maybe.”</p>
<p>—————————————————</p>
<p>Beth was ignoring Rio’s messages. Ok not exactly ignoring. If she completely dropped off the face of the earth, he’d probably show up at her place or the bakery again, which was the last thing she needed. Instead, she’d sent him a message the night that he had come in with the supermodel worthy woman.</p>
<p>
  <i>Things are really busy right now. Rain check?</i>
</p>
<p>He’d accepted the answer, but now that it had been a few days, he was texting again. But it wasn’t even invites to his place or offers to come to hers. He was asking her if things were ok. If class was going well. Was she still having problems with her cabinet hinge. It was weird. It wasn’t as though they had <i>never</i> talked about those things, but that was something that they tended to leave for in person conversations. But now here he was, asking her if there was anything he could help her with and Beth was pretty sure that he didn’t even mean it in a sexual way.</p>
<p>Leaning against the counter next to the cash register, she continued to doodle on a sheet of paper that she’d meant to use to take notes for her upcoming assignment. Cakes and cookies and ice cream cones and hearts. Ugh.</p>
<p>The bell above the door jingled softly.</p>
<p>Beth looked up to see the same devastatingly pretty young woman that had come in with Rio a few days before. She smiled at Beth and all Beth could think was that it was just unfair. </p>
<p>“Hi,” Beth said, wiping her hands on her apron. “What can I get for you?”</p>
<p>“I’ll take a cappuccino and one of those double fudge cookies.” The woman pushed her wavy hair back and Beth caught a glimpse of a familiar pair of earrings. </p>
<p>Her heart dropped. She’d seen them on Rio’s counter once and when she had asked who they were for, he’d just laughed and told her it was none of her business. That had been months ago. Had he and this girl been seeing each other that long? Was Beth…the other woman?</p>
<p>“Of course,” she stammered out, her throat suddenly dry. </p>
<p>Don’t cry. Don’t cry. He’s not worth it.</p>
<p>“I’d never been in before,” the woman said as she started to dig through her purse, “but then I came in earlier this week and those cookies are amazing. I’ll have to kick Rio later for not telling me about you guys earlier.” </p>
<p>She smiled at Beth as she pulled her wallet free. “I’m Helena, by the way. You’re Elizabeth, right?”</p>
<p>Beth tried to smile back. “Just Beth.”</p>
<p>Helena’s face fell. “Are you okay?”</p>
<p>Oh great. </p>
<p>“Yes,” Beth said. “Sorry, a little bit distracted at the moment. It’s ordering day.”</p>
<p>“You’re the manager?” Helena asked as she unzipped her wallet. </p>
<p>Beth shook her head. “Owner.”</p>
<p>“Do you do the baking?” </p>
<p>“Yup.”</p>
<p>“You are so talented!” Helena told her as she pulled out a few bills. “I’m seriously going to have to kick that man’s ass. He’s supposed to be showing me around town and he doesn’t even introduce me to the best study spot with great coffee and amazing cookies? Asshole.”</p>
<p>Beth paused, hand reaching out. “What?”</p>
<p>Helena laughed. She even laughed pretty, Beth thought. “Rio, he’s supposed to be showing me around the town. I just moved here for school and he’s been here for years, so you would think that he would let me in on all the good spots, but it’s like pulling teeth to get him to do anything. I’m gonna have to call his mother.”</p>
<p>She’d met his mother? God, it must be serious. She needed quarters. Right. She grabbed the roll and started to peel the paper off.</p>
<p>“I’d say that he’s the worst cousin in the world, but it’s more like second worst after Joey,” Helena said.</p>
<p>Beth dropped the roll of quarters on the ground and it broke apart, coins scattering everywhere. “What?”</p>
<p>Helena, who had gasped at the sound of the quarters falling, looked at Beth. “Excuse me?”</p>
<p>“Cousin?”</p>
<p>Helena nodded slowly.</p>
<p>“Rio is your cousin,” Beth said.</p>
<p>“Yes.”</p>
<p>“You aren’t dating.”</p>
<p>“No!” Helena nearly shouted. “Like he’s my actual cousin. Our moms are sisters.” She shuddered. “You thought we were dating?”</p>
<p>Beth didn’t know what to say about that.</p>
<p>Helena seemed to freeze mid-head shake. “Why would it be a big deal to you if I had been a girlfriend?” Her eyes narrowed on Beth.</p>
<p>She made herself shrug. “Nothing.”</p>
<p>“Uh uh,” Helena protested, “not buying it.”</p>
<p>“No,” Beth said firmly.</p>
<p>She turned on the steam wand before Rio’s cousin could say anything. At least not yet. She had to gather her composure.</p>
<p>Rio didn’t have a girlfriend. Rio wasn’t seeing someone else.</p>
<p>Helena wasn’t having any of it. “He really likes you,” she said as soon as Beth was done. </p>
<p>Beth didn’t say anything.</p>
<p>“He asked the other woman if you were around still and he got all mopey when she said you were busy,” she went on. “I made him tell me what was going on. He thinks you’re into that other guy.”</p>
<p>“He told you about Steve?”</p>
<p>Helena made a face. “If that’s his name, yeah. Rio might not say anything to you about it, but you need to make up your mind.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Before somebody gets hurt.”</p>
<p>Beth wanted to laugh at the idea that Rio would wind up hurt, but she just shook her head.</p>
<p>“I’m serious,” Helena told her. “Just because he looks like he’s a macho douchebag, doesn’t mean he is one. And if you don’t know that by now, maybe you should go with <i>Steve</i>.”</p>
<p>“I know that,” Beth said, defending herself. “It’s the idea that Rio would be hurt by me of all people, that’s just wrong. He doesn’t want it to be more than we have.”</p>
<p>“Did you ask him?”</p>
<p>Beth paused. She hadn’t. Not exactly. She’d dropped hints here and there. Bringing up things like her date with Steve and giving him the chance to tell her he didn’t want her seeing other people. But…maybe he’d been hesitant to say anything.</p>
<p>“No,” she admitted.</p>
<p>Helena planted her hands on the counter and leaned over it to glare at Beth. “Then ask him before you go making assumptions.” She took her coffee and cookie and went to a table by the window and didn’t say anything else the rest of the time that she was there.</p>
<p>As for Beth, she spent all afternoon thinking about what Helena had said. Rio wasn’t interested in being more. There was absolutely no way. She’d seen the girls that hung around him at the bar. Pretty, young, making him all kinds of offers about what they could do for him. And they weren’t subtle about it.</p>
<p>With all that available, why the hell would he want to date Beth? Besides, they’d tried that and it had gone terribly. The worst date that either of them had ever been on. </p>
<p>Except, now as she thought back on that disastrous first date, it was with fondness. </p>
<p>When it came to closing time, she shut everything down, forcing herself to go slowly rather than rushing through it and messing something up. As it was, she had to double back just to check that she had locked the door.</p>
<p>She checked the time on her phone. She was pretty sure that Rio was off tonight, although that didn’t mean that he was home. Her finger hovered over the call button so long that the screen went dark.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” she muttered, then turned herself in the direction of his place.</p>
<p>It wasn’t long before she was standing outside his door and knocking.</p>
<p>“Just a second,” she heard from inside after she knocked a second time. He must have looked through the door because she could hear his locks sliding before the door opened. He was standing there, dripping wet, waist wrapped in a white towel that was almost too small for him. He had to hold it in place with the hand that wasn’t on the door.</p>
<p>“Elizabeth?” he said, like he was surprised. Which, she supposed, was fair. She hadn’t exactly told him that she was on her way.</p>
<p>“I thought it was payback!” Beth blurted.</p>
<p>Rio blinked at her. “Huh?”</p>
<p>“Helena, I thought that you bringing her to the café was you getting revenge on me for coming to the bar with Steve,” Beth explained.</p>
<p>His mouth fell open slightly. “She’s my cousin.”</p>
<p>Beth crossed her arms. “I know that now! She came in today and we talked. I thought you had a girlfriend.”</p>
<p>Rio’s expression of disgust was almost enough to make Beth break and just laugh. “I’m not seeing anyone else,” he said, shifting his weight to lean against the door. His jaw tightened. “That’s you.”</p>
<p>“I don’t want Steve, I want you,” Beth told him. “I thought -“</p>
<p>“You thought what?” he prompted when she didn’t go on.</p>
<p>Beth swallowed. “I thought you didn’t want anything more with me.”</p>
<p>He was quiet for a moment, then stepped back, opening the door wider. “C’mon,” he said. Beth stepped inside and he swung the door shut before stepping forward to lock it again. This had the side effect of pressing Beth into it.</p>
<p>“You can be real dumb,” he said as he clicked the lock into place.</p>
<p>“Me?” Beth scoffed. “Says you, who isn’t exactly the brightest either.”</p>
<p>Rio grinned. “Guess we’re perfect for each other then.” He was close enough that the water still clinging to his skin was wetting the front of her shirt. He pulled his towel off.</p>
<p>Beth wasn’t entirely sure which one of them kissed the other. All that mattered was that her hands were on his bare skin. Rio’s hands were tugging up her shirt. They stumbled further into his place, shedding Beth’s clothes as they went until he hoisted her up onto his kitchen table.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” he muttered as he cupped her breasts, “missed you.”</p>
<p>She shivered, rubbing her thigh against his groin until he grabbed her leg to hold her in place.</p>
<p>“None of that,” he said.</p>
<p>“Why not?” Beth went to grab him but he pinned her hand.</p>
<p>“You’ve been avoiding me,” Rio reminded her. “I think I get to call the shots tonight, Elizabeth.”</p>
<p>He dropped his head into the curve of her shoulder.</p>
<p>“Okay,” Beth agreed. She wanted him. She could feel him, hard and so very close. “Missed you too,” she admitted to him.</p>
<p>Rio stepped away. Before Beth could protest the space between them, he tugged her off the table and turned her so that she was bending over it. His fingers teased over her, but finding her wet and impatient, he quickly pushed into her with his cock.</p>
<p>After a few days without him, without really even touching herself at all, it was a bit more of a stretch than usual, but it felt amazing as she panted into the table top.</p>
<p>“Anybody do it like this for you?” he asked, lifting her knee until it was resting on the table and all she could do was keep her other foot planted on the ground and try to balance herself.</p>
<p>“Uh uh,” Beth replied. “Nobody. I swear to fucking -“ she moaned as he thrust into her. Her hands scrambled for something to grab onto, but the only thing in reach was a table runner and it offered her no support.</p>
<p>Rio groaned. “That why you’re so desperate for me?”</p>
<p>“Not like I’m the only one,” she said, whimpering as his hips slapped into hers, driving her into the table.</p>
<p>He bent over her back, changing the angle of his thrusts. “Suppose that’s true,” he replied before opening his mouth over a spot between her shoulder blades. First, he kissed it, then caught her skin between his teeth and bit down.</p>
<p>Beth moaned, a shaky sound, as he sucked then pulled back to lick over the bite mark. He hadn’t done that before.</p>
<p>“Marking me up?” Beth asked.</p>
<p>He hummed, kissing the same spot. “You like it?” </p>
<p>She nodded.</p>
<p>“Good.” His thumbs were on her lower back and he dug them in as he pulled back. “Think you can come without me touching your clit?” he asked.</p>
<p>She swallowed, assessing her body.</p>
<p>“Because I’m not going to,” he said. “You can if you want. You close?”</p>
<p>“Yes,” she sighed. He was doing everything that he knew she liked. Wriggling enough to get her hand underneath herself, Beth circled her clit with a fingertip. The noises that Rio fucking her made were filling the kitchen and making her even wetter. “Yes,” she repeated louder.</p>
<p>Rio wasn’t much better off, his pace getting slightly erratic as he struggled not to come first.</p>
<p>Beth was shaking slightly, cunt squeezing Rio, her breaths getting uneven as she reached her peak. “Yes!” she cried out, continuing the pace of her finger as best as she could.</p>
<p>She thought she heard Rio say, “There you are,” but she couldn’t be sure as she moaned and bucked against him. She barely even noticed it when he started to come as well, sending his cum deep inside of her as he voiced his own pleasure.</p>
<p>He didn’t quite slump on top of her afterwards, though he did press his hips into her a little more, truly pinning her to the table, before pulling out.</p>
<p>Beth gasped at the sudden emptiness and reached back for him.</p>
<p>“Hey, I’m here,” he said, kissing her shoulder blades, then slowly turning her over so that he could kiss her properly.</p>
<p>She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him close. Not that she needed to. He seemed just as intent on melding their bodies together as she was.</p>
<p>“Gimme a couple minutes to recover,” he said, “and then we’ll do that again.”</p>
<p>Beth giggled, pulling him in for another kiss.</p>
<p>When they broke away to breath again, Beth stroked the side of his neck. </p>
<p>“What if we’re really bad at dating?”</p>
<p>Rio looked at her. “Huh?”</p>
<p>“That date we went on, what if that happens again?” </p>
<p>He studied her carefully. “You remember how that date ended, right? It happens again, we go somewhere together and we fuck it out. Then talk about it and try again. I <i>like</i> you, Elizabeth. And not just this part, when you’re all naked and soft.” He smiled and leaned down to kiss her. “I like you when you’re being a raging bitch too.”</p>
<p>“Hey!” Beth protested. “Says the guy who insulted my shoes the minute he met me.”</p>
<p>“They were impractical and -“</p>
<p>She slapped her hand over his mouth. He stopped trying to talk until she took her hand away.</p>
<p>“And I’d do it again,” he finished.</p>
<p>“I swear to god, Rio, if you take me on a date and the first thing you do is comment on my footwear, it’s over.”</p>
<p>He grinned. “Then don’t wear uncomfortable shoes that you don’t even like. I know what you look like in flats with no make-up on and your hair all over the place. I’m not gonna go running.”</p>
<p>Beth sat up, pushing Rio up too. “Is this supposed to be where I say that I like you even when you’re being an egotistical ass?”</p>
<p>“You could,” Rio teased, wrapping her legs around his waist before picking her up, “although I’m not entirely sure I’m gonna believe it if you say it in that tone of voice.”</p>
<p>She cleared her throat and made her voice syrupy sweet as she said, “Oh Rio, I like you even when you’re being a douchebag.”</p>
<p>“Wow, what a vote of confidence,” he replied, walking to the bedroom. “At least now you know the car’s not overcompensation for anything.”</p>
<p>Beth considered that, then sighed. “I guess.”</p>
<p>“You guess?” Rio looked outraged.</p>
<p>Smiling at him, Beth wiggled against his front. “You’ll have to remind me again.”</p>
<p>“I can do that,” he quickly agreed, “but I’m thinking something a little different at first.”</p>
<p>Rio lay her on the bed, head facing the foot of it, before climbing on top of her and licking from her belly button to her cunt. Beth squirmed a little.</p>
<p>“Rio,” she whined, “I’m still -“</p>
<p>Before she could remind him that he’d just come inside of her, his fingers were separating her folds and his tongue was lapping at her. Beth moaned, moving her hips a little. He did it a few more times, then pulled up enough to look up her body to her face.</p>
<p>“Suck my cock,” he said, nudging his hips towards her face.</p>
<p>She batted away his flaccid cock and glared at him. “Ask nicely.”</p>
<p>“Please, Elizabeth, wrap your lips around my cock and take me as far as you can while I eat my cum out of your pussy.”</p>
<p>Oh. </p>
<p>Beth shivered. Lifting her hands to his hips, she pulled him down. He chuckled as she took him into her mouth, just sucking on the tip at first before mouthing down his length to his balls and licking over one, then the other as he started to stiffen again.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” he groaned before going back to eating her out. He let her set the pace she wanted, although she instinctively tried to match his. As he sucked on her clit, Beth moaned around him and took him deeper. Having a guy like this, on top of her with his cock in her mouth, normally would have freaked Beth out. But it was <i>Rio</i>. She trusted him.</p>
<p>She pulled him a little deeper until she gagged and he jerked back.</p>
<p>“Fuck,” he said, all hoarse. </p>
<p>“Again,” Beth demanded, guiding him back down. In response, he slid two of his long fingers inside of her along with his tongue. Beth moaned around his length, leading him to thrust into her mouth. They’d never done this - Rio was always perfectly polite when she blew him, letting her set the pace and depth. But right now that wasn’t what Beth wanted. Something was driving her to take him deeper.</p>
<p>With his fingers rubbing her and his mouth sealed over her clit, Beth came with a shudder, pushing her cunt against his face even as he pressed himself closer.</p>
<p>His fingers slipped free and both of his hands cupped her ass to hold her in place as he kept working her clit as she started to squirm. Oh god, he was going to kill her with pleasure and it wasn’t fair. She wanted him to give in to his own, just lose control and spill down her throat. She wanted him to be boneless.</p>
<p>She lifted her head a little, driving him deeper. She could feel the muscles of his thighs shaking above her. Finally, he couldn’t help it, he pulled his face out of her cunt to groan out her name.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna come,” he warned.</p>
<p>Beth just bobbed her head, pulling back to focus on the tip for a moment before swallowing him back down.</p>
<p>“Oh fuck,” he cursed, unable to stop his hips from stuttering, sliding a little deeper. “Oh fuck fuck fuck,” he repeated as all of his muscles tensed right before she felt him starting to spill his cum down her throat. “Elizabeth.”</p>
<p>She jumped slightly when his fingers came back to her cunt, just rubbing over her entrance and feeling damn good. She nearly choked on her moan, twitching to shift away. But his touch was relentless as she sucked the last bit of cum out of him. He made a noise like a whimper as he pulled out, leaving Beth to gasp for breath as he rubbed her through another orgasm. She couldn’t even say full words as she came.</p>
<p>Eventually, he stopped and rolled aside, panting up at the ceiling. Neither of them could say anything for a few minutes.</p>
<p>As Beth slowly came back to her body, she turned her head. It was in line with his hip and when she propped her head up to look at him, she found his eyes closed. Reaching over, she put her hand on his belly.</p>
<p>He groaned.</p>
<p>“I think I’m dead,” he muttered.</p>
<p>Beth giggled and turned herself around so that her head was by his. </p>
<p>“Pretty sure that you just killed me,” he said, eyes slitting open slowly. “Like you literally just sucked my brains out through my cock.”</p>
<p>She laughed and wrapped her leg around him. “You saying I’m a zombie?”</p>
<p>He grimaced. “Don’t put that image in my head.”</p>
<p>She ran her fingers over his chest. “Did you like it?”</p>
<p>“Fuck, if I liked it more, you would be on trial for my murder,” he said, arm sliding under her so he could hold her against his side. “You got time for a nap?”</p>
<p>“I’m hungry,” she protested.</p>
<p>Meeting his eye, she saw that he had a mischievous expression and she could guess where that was going. Thumping him lightly on the chest, she rolled away, pulling the sheet with her.</p>
<p>“Don’t even,” she warned him, wrapping it around herself as he grinned. “And I’m not bringing you anything. If you want food, you have to get it your damn self!” She couldn’t exactly storm off in her current state, but she could stomp. So that’s what she did all the way to his kitchen.</p>
<p>Yanking his fridge open, she inspected the contents. </p>
<p>“I’m eating your pizza!” she called out to him, grabbing the leftover pizza and shuffling to the counter to put it down.</p>
<p>Rio came out of his bedroom a minute later, still naked, to find her sitting on the counter, still wrapped in his sheet, and eating cold pizza. He smiled at her as he grabbed a slice for himself and settled in between her legs.</p>
<p>“I think we figured it out,” he said.</p>
<p>Beth cocked her head in confusion.</p>
<p>“Can’t insult your clothes if you’re not wearing any.”</p>
<p>She groaned even as she laughed, pulling him in closer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Title from Dua Lipa's "Good in Bed", a song made for Brio if there ever was one. Unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine. If there's anything that you think should be warned for, please let me know. Hope that you and your loved ones are all safe and healthy out there!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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